1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #96 Lew Riggs

Sunday, April 30, 2023

#96 Lew Riggs - Cincinnati Reds

Lewis Sidney Riggs

Cincinnati Reds

Third Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 175

Born: April 22, 1910, Mebane, NC

Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1934; Cincinnati Reds 1935-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941-1942, 1946

World Series Appearances: Cincinnati Reds 1939-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941

Died: August 12, 1975, Durham, NC (65)

Lew Riggs played in parts of 10 seasons in the majors, reaching the World Series three times and having his career interrupted while he served between 1943 and 1945 in the military during World War II. His best seasons came in 1935 and 1936 with the Reds as the team's regular third baseman. Riggs batted .278 with 26 doubles and 46 RBIs in 1935 and .257 with 20 doubles and 57 RBIs in 1936, while being named to the National League All-Star Team. For his fielding, he'd lead all National League third baseman in both assists and errors in 1935. (Riggs would lead in assists again in 1936, and in errors again in 1937.) He had at least 17 doubles and 45 RBIs in each season between 1935 and 1938. In 1939, the Reds acquired Billy Werber (#61) to take over at third base and Riggs' playing time decreased to just 22 games as a bench player and pinch-hitter. Riggs went hitless in three pinch-hitting appearances during the 1940 World Series as his Reds team defeated the Tigers in seven games.

Finding success as a pinch-hitter, Riggs was dealt to the Dodgers in December 1940, and he'd lead the National League with 10 pinch hit in 29 at bats in 1941. Riggs was back in the World Series in 1941, batting .250 (2 for 8) as the Dodgers fell to the Yankees in five games. Following the 1942 season, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving in the Pacific for three years. He'd return to the Dodgers in 1946, going 0 for 4 on opening day, resulting in a prompt release. Riggs would continue to play in the minor leagues from 1946 to 1950, within the Dodgers, Indians, Yankees and Browns organizations. In 760 major league games, Riggs batted .262 with 650 hits, 110 doubles, 43 triples, 28 home runs and 271 RBIs.

Building the Set

March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Dean's House of Cards - Midlothian, VA) - Card #79

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here. When I wasn't making bulk 1969 Topps commons purchases, I was on the look out for more Diamond Stars cards to add to our set.

I was happy to again find quite a few dealers with Diamond Stars cards for sale. I visited three separate dealers, purchasing a total of five cards, and getting the number of cards needed for my version of a master set down to an attainable 38. This Riggs card was one of two cards purchased from Dean's House of Cards, and I've purchased cards from this dealer before. (And probably will again.)

Variations Available

1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1936 copyright

The Card / Reds Team Set

I'd consider this Riggs' rookie card, as it's his first mainstream baseball card, and it came out three years before his hobby-designated rookie card in the 1939 Play Ball set. This is another great action shot, and as Riggs doesn't have the ball in his hand or his glove, it looks as if the sliding runner is about to be called safe by the umpire. The back of the card foregoes a tip and provides a summary of the Reds' 1935 season. It name-checks fellow Reds' teammates second baseman Alex Kampouris, right fielder Ival Goodman, shortstop Billy Myers, starting pitcher Gene Schott and late inning reliever Don Brennan. None of those five players actually received a card in the Diamond Stars set.

1936 Season

Playing alongside future Hall of Famers Ernie Lombardi (#36) and Kiki Cuyler (#31), Riggs was the Reds everyday third baseman, appearing in 141 games overall. Only Cuyler appeared in more games with 144. In the All-Star Game, hosted at Braves Field in Boston, Riggs pinch-hit for the Phillies' Pinky Whitney in the eighth inning, striking out looking against the Indians' Mel Harder (#113). He'd play the top of the ninth at third base, as the National League defeated the American League, 4-3.